Millions of individuals engage in the sport of hunting. While there are many different types of hunting techniques, one popular technique is to utilize at least one or more trained dogs to assist in the location and/or successful retrieval of the intended prey. For example but not by way of limitation, hunter's will often utilize at least one dog to track an intended target. During tracking of the intended target, the dog typically becomes separated from the hunter and the separation can be a significant distance wherein the hunter can no longer physically see the dog. Under these circumstances the hunter typically utilizes a tracking collar that is releasably secured to the dog to assist in the location of the dog during the hunt.
As is known in the art, tracking collars are releasably secured to a dog that emit a signal, typically a radio signal, that can be received by a hand held receiver utilized by the hunter. The receiver detects the strength of the signal and is usually configured to display to the hunter the general direction of the source of the signal and calculate the distance based on the strength of the signal. Most tracking collars utilize a switch such as but not limited to a reed switch to activate the signal production of the transmitter. Currently, most existing tracking collar transmitters are configured to utilize a separate magnet key to deactivate the switch in order to discontinue signal production from the transmitter. One problem with utilizing a separate magnet key is that the magnet key is often very small and can be easily lost. Another issue with current magnet keys utilized to deactivate the output signal of the transmitter is that they must be affixed to a precise location on the collar in order to function correctly. This usually requires the use of o-rings or similar devices that are often cumbersome to use.
Additionally, current magnet keys for tracking collars can easily become dislodged from their correct location on the transmitter when not in use which results the loss of power of the battery. Most conventional tracking collars require their own magnet key for deactivation which can create a key management issue for hunters that utilize several dogs each having their own tracking collar.
Accordingly, there is a need for a magnetic tracking collar deactivation device that can accommodate a plurality of tracking collars thereon and eliminate the need for a magnet key for each tracking collar.